Turning on the TV inside the van today for the first time was a milestone. I’ve got full fledged 120V AC in the van.
Since my last post I’ve been buying, rebuying, returning, and buying some more electrical bits and pieces (fuses, connectors, and wires).
I’ve actually had the device that inverts 12V DC power into 120V AC since November 2016. But the mix of being a complete electrical novice and electricity being potentially disastrous, I’ve just delayed, stalled, and worked around most of the inevitable electrical installation to this point.
For example, only today did I properly ground the TV outlet box, after recently reading about ungrounded metal electrical boxes being a common error in DIY electrical (raises hand).
Similarly, it wasn’t until this month that I found out a GFCI outlet should be on every line (“D’oh”).
One advantage in delaying the electrical until the end has been adapting the design in unforeseen ways.
For example I was able to install water protected outlets under the sink area.
And my dad pointed out that there was a good opportunity to force air circulation inside the van by installing a fan in the counter that vented to the floor. This helps in both move hot air from the furnace in a cold van, and also move hot air in a hot van. (I’ll mesh cover the fan intake and cover the van with a movable chopping block on the counter.)
For some bonus content:
Today on YouTube I posted a quick video review about using internet inside the van.
My only source for internet is my T-Mobile One Plus International plan. This allows me to tether my laptop to my cell phone’s unlimited data plan.
I pay $60/month after tax for the base unlimited T-Mobile One unlimited plan. I am on a family plan with one other person who pays $60/month as well for their share. In order to get unlimited tethering I pay an additional $25/month after tax for the One Plus Interational adder (this adder is the same regardless of individual or family plans). This brings my total bill to $85/month.
I’ve used this as my source for internet for six months so far and not lost any functionality compared to traditional internet. This past month I tethered ~55GB with a majority of that data being used for video streaming with no noticeable loss of quality.